


I Do Love You, But It's

by beacandy



Series: We Make A Good Team [3]
Category: Sonic Boom (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Brainwashing, Multi, Polyship Week, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 07:04:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15334494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beacandy/pseuds/beacandy
Summary: Day 2 of the polyship week challenge (http://polyshipprompts.tumblr.com/post/175510700628/friends-followers-people-who-saw-this-post) was angst, so I used this prompt (http://polyshipprompts.tumblr.com/post/131250675843/imagine-that-due-to-an-amnesia-inducing-accident) for this one. The prompt is spoilery, so I'd consider not looking at it first unless you'd rather have the heads up!





	I Do Love You, But It's

Eggman's latest scheme wasn't meant to ruin Sticks's life. It wasn't meant to turn her world gray and leave her a stranger in a harsh wasteland.

Knowing this didn't do anything to lessen her utter contempt for him.

* * *

_Amy looked a little chagrinned as she ducked her head into Sticks's hut. "Sticks, are you really wearing that on our picnic? It can't be comfortable."_

_Indeed, the tin foil hat was extremely grating on her scalp, but Sticks just adjusted it for security. "My horoscope said brainwashing was gonna ruin my life today. I can't let the newspaper people win!"_

_Amy started to say something, but seemingly thought better of it and simply pressed a kiss to her forehead. "If it's a bad day for you, we can eat lunch inside."_

_"Are you kiddin'? This is one of my only chances to get you guys out of the city and into some unruined fresh air! No way I'm letting you talk me out of it."_

_Amy put up her hands placatingly. "Fair enough. Just wanted to put the option on the table."_

_"I appreciate it," Sticks said. "Really. But I'm fine. A picnic sounds really good."_

_Satisfied, Amy nodded. "Are you ready to go, then?"_

_"Lemme just pick my favorite pretty rocks to take along."_

_"Okay, but Sonic is starting to pace. Make sure you're done before his steps dig a trench on the beach."_

_"C'mon, Amy," Sticks said, with a mischievous grin, "isn't getting ready half the fun of going out?"_

_"You've got me there," she laughed._

* * *

She was the only one who knew what had happened. The only one who knew anything had happened. She'd tried to tell them, but apparently a reputation for wild speculation meant it was hard for her to be convincing, even when she burst into tears out of panic. They were concerned and reassuring, but they didn't listen to her explanations, not really. They were sure it was an exaggeration, if that.

If Sticks were less self-assured, she'd probably assume she'd dreamt up the whole thing. But she was pretty self-assured, so she knew that, alone or not, she'd foil Eggman's whole operation and get them back.

She took her knife and carved a sharp point onto a stick she found on the ground. Not as a weapon, really, just as a nervous habit.

* * *

_Sticks laughed triumphantly as they made their way to the top of the hill. "So? Did I tell you, or did I tell you?"_

_Sonic grinned, elbowing her. "I have to admit, this is a pretty cool place."_

_"Pretty cool?!" Sticks feigned offense, bringing a hand to her chest as if she'd been wounded. "A nice breeze is pretty cool. A weird feather is pretty cool. This is an unspoiled paradise!"_

_"Okay, okay, it's very cool! Can't you let me have a little bit of unimpressed stoicism in the face of beauty? I have a brand to maintain, you know."_

_"I hope your brand survives this!" Sticks said, pulling him into a noogie and dragging him along a few steps._

_"Not the quills!" Sonic protested between laughs. She let him go, fondness conspicuous._

_When they reached the hill's top, Tails flew up to flatten the blanket and Knuckles set the baskets down on top of it._

_Amy pecked Knuckles's lips before pulling away. "Thank goodness for your muscles. I think I went a little overboard and made too much food again."_

_"I've never heard you say a sweeter sentence," Sonic said, opening the baskets._

_Amy blushed a little as he set out the spread. "I tried to go a bit less out there with the flavors. Chocolate truffles, barbecue pork buns, you know, philistine foods."_

_Tails put a hand on her shoulder. "They look as amazing as always, Ames."_

_Amy 'aww'ed as Sticks picked up a truffle and concurred with Tails with a delighted 'Mmmm!'_

_"Th're AMAZING," she said, chocolate in her mouth be damned. "What's that spice?"_

_"Cinnamon and ginger," Amy said, sounding proud._

_Sticks nodded as if those words meant anything to her, and she not-so-surreptitiously snuck a few more of them into her corner, until she noticed Tails looking at her._

_"What?" she asked, eyes shifting. "Amy didn't say one per date-mate!"_

_"No, no, you've just got a little..." he rubbed at his left cheek._

_"A little cheek?" she asked, bewildered._

_He snickered and leaned in, wiping his thumb on the cheek and picking up the fudge there. And in spite of their established relationship, the act still made her blush and giggle._

* * *

She didn't have Tails's gadgets, Knuckles's brute strength, Amy's planning, or Sonic's know-how, but Sticks had infiltrated enough locked places to get into Eggman's lair. After getting down from the roof, she made her way to the central room.

...Or, she tried to, anyway. She didn't know her way around the place. The others always-

Nope. Nope. Keep it together, Sticks. Bursting into tears while fighting the bad guy is a bad look.

She tried to navigate the halls, but the repetitive white color was dizzying. She knew she should have thought this through. She might have given up, if she hadn't noticed Orbot in the halls.

Bingo. She went up to him and put on her most scary face. With as angry as she was, that wasn't hard.

"Take me to Eggman, or your pretty little gears and circuits go bye-bye."

Quivering, he obliged.

* * *

_This kept on, a lazy lunch of small bites interspersed with compliments and occasional displays of affection. It was winding down when, finally, the inevitable came._

_Eggman's voice echoed over them. "_ _Oh, a picnic! How sweet."_

_"Thank you for noticing," Tails said, purposefully ignoring his tone. "We spent a lot of time setting it up."_

_"Well!" Eggman sputtered, "I spent a lot of time on **this**!" With that, he retrieved a remote with a button and summoned a particularly large laser cannon._

_They all narrowed their eyes and got up, but before any of them (even Sonic) could dodge out of the way, Eggman fired._

_Sticks flinched, but it didn't seem to be necessary, she didn't feel any effect._

* * *

Orbot opened the door to the main room, where Eggman was sitting, spying on the (former) members of Team Sonic,  "You!" Sticks growled. "Give me one good reason not to pulverize you."

Eggman turned, surprised by her vitriol. "Whoa, sister. Don't hate the player, hate the game."

"Is this a game to you?!" she all but howled.

He flinched. "It's a figure of speech! Yeesh, what's your problem? You know I'm evil, right? Breaking up your team, by any means necessary, is pretty par-for-the-course."

"You made them forget we're dating, you idiot!"

That stopped him in his tracks. "You're  _ **what**_?!"

"Does Mister Evil Genius need a diagram? The five of us are dating! And your dinky little ray gun made them forget that fact! So if you don't reverse it, I'll rip your stupid lair apart piece by piece! And if you still won't tell me, you're next on the ripping-apart-piece-by-piece list."

* * *

_She laughed. "Was that supposed to do something, Egg-For-Brains?"_

_Eggman boggled. "What?! How did that not-?!"_

_"Where am I?" Sonic's voice said._

_Sticks turned, confused, to see Tails staring at Knuckles. "Aren't you that echidna guy? Fists or something?"_

_"Uh, I'm pretty sure it's Knuckles," he replied, pausing. "Unless I'm thinking of someone else."_

_Eggman shook his head, "Yes! Yes!! Does it really not go through tin foil? But more importantly, yes!"_

_Sticks paid him no mind, focused on the others and their bewildered expressions. "What?! Guys?"_

_Eggman, "Well, guess being a crackpot paid off for you, weirdo. Cause everyone else has been brainwashed to forget your little team-thing."_

_"You!" Sticks said, turning from them with boomerang in hand._

_"Well!" Eggman said, beaming. "Good luck with that, I'm off to make my best plan ever, unhindered. Have rotten, separate, lives!"_

_"He seems like a nice guy," Amy said._

_Sticks rolled her eyes as she turned back to Amy. "Okay, Ames, enough playing dumb, what's the plan."_

_Amy looked flustered. "Wha-people don't call me Ames! Who are you, anyway? I haven't seen you in the Village before."_

_"She's that one who lives in the forests and makes conspiracies!" Knuckles said, glad to have information to offer._

_Sticks felt suddenly gutted, and, when nobody else showed any recognition when they looked at her, it finally began to sink in. She was alone again._

_She kept trying. Common phrases. Anecdotes. Flirtation. Nothing sparked anything. After a good thirty minutes of trying, they were starting to look irritated and she was starting to cry angrily._

_"Hey," Sonic said, and he had the nerve to sound concerned and genuine, "I'm sure you think you remember us, but maybe you just-"_

_She bolted behind a random tree. She couldn't hear the end of that thought._

* * *

 

"Okay, sure, more evil than expected, but I still stand by my awesome - and successful might-I-add - plan!"

And even though he looked a little unsure, the double-down was enough for Sticks to scowl and launch herself at Eggman, fangs bared. He pressed a remote to summon robots, but she didn't bother to pay them any mind.

They hadn't wronged her. Eggman was the one who was gonna pay.

The newspaper people weren't gonna win.


End file.
